| Sunday, November 29, 2009 |
| Fantastic |
As the years go by, I get pickier & pickier about which movies I'll go see. I am no longer in Hollywood's target demographic, and the movies that are aimed at me tend to be crappy romances like "Nights in Rodanthe." I am grateful, though, for the handful of quirky filmmakers who have somehow managed to carve out careers despite shunning formula fare like superhero flicks or by-the-numbers romantic comedies -- people like Charlie Kaufman, whose "Synecdoche, New York" may have been a failure, but it was surely one of the most interesting failures of recent years; Alexander Payne ("Sideways," "Election"); Brad Bird (director of two of the most original blockbusters of the decade, "Ratatouille" and "The Incredibles"); and Wes Anderson, whose films frequently manage to be beautiful, maddening, moving and twee all at once.
I get that a lot of people don't care for Anderson's films; he loves creating these elaborate cutaway sets that are almost like giant versions of dollhouses, and his interest in creating memorable characters may seem to take a back seat to deciding which old Kinks song to use in a particular scene. However, there is no denying that when you see an Anderson movie, it's the perfectly realized product of one man's vision. I think the most successful of his films is "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," which is pretty much all artifice, from the gorgeous CGI sea creatures to the troubador who shows up to sing David Bowie songs in Portuguese. I am reminded of Mark Twain's foreword to "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn": "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." You just have to sit back and go with the flow and enjoy the Wes-ness of it all.
On the other hand, the one Anderson film I actively disliked was "The Darjeeling Limited," which aims to make the viewer care about its three main characters, brothers played by Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson. I never did, nor could I quite get over the "white guys go on spiritual quest in third world country" premise. The train set, however, was really cool.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from "Fantastic Mr. Fox," Anderson's latest feature, which is based on a book by Roald Dahl and uses stop-motion animation to tell its story of a fox's epic battle with three farmers. Despite the fact that it's putatively a children's movie, I was pleased to note that all of Anderson's tropes were in full effect, from the cutaway sets to the on-screen titles to the carefully chosen pop songs. I also liked the rather low-tech nature of the stop-motion; at times, the figures move so stiffly that they resemble children's playthings instead of characters in a multi-million-dollar movie. Then there are shots in which the fox fur rustles in the breeze and it looks so real that you could practically reach out and touch it. Still, compared to the high tech computer animation of "Up" or "Monsters vs. Aliens," it's got a decidedly old-fashioned feel.
It would be interesting to know if children actually like this movie, or just find it odd. At one point, Mr. Fox, who has given up his life of chicken-stealing crime in favor of a job in, of all things, journalism, opines, "Why a fox? Why not a horse, or a beetle, or a bald eagle? I'm saying this more as, like, existentialism, you know? Who am I?" Movies like "Shrek" may make pop culture references that go over kids' heads, but not many animated movies have lines of dialogue influenced by Kierkegaard.
People who find Anderson's films too precious by half might still enjoy "Mr. Fox" -- Joe only attended as a favor to me and he liked it well enough. George Clooney was the perfect choice to play the debonair fox, and Meryl Streep is fine in the smaller role of Mrs. Fox (in children's stories like this one, the guys have all the fun, while the women stay behind and tut-tut). Perhaps the auteur has found the ultimate outlet for his dollhouse aesthetic in this carefully created little animated world.
And now, a note about two of the previews that played before the movie: "Tooth Fairy," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeaquel." Forget waterboarding -- if these flicks were on infinite loop at Gitmo, it would have to count as some sort of violation of the Geneva Convention. And yet, it wouldn't surprise me if both of them far outgross "Mr. Fox." The John Travolta/Robin Williams comedy "Old Dogs," which got some of the worst reviews of the year, outearned the Anderson film by a factor of two to one. It's a wonder that a little gem like "Mr. Fox" made it into the multiplexes at all. |
posted by 125records @ 5:43 PM  |
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| Wednesday, November 25, 2009 |
| Donny |
Last night, I confidently predicted to my friend Janet A. that Donny Osmond would win "Dancing with the Stars." I was correct -- and here's why I think he walked away with the mirror ball trophy:
1. Donny is a capital-S Star. I consider myself much more plugged into pop culture than the average person, but every season, when I see the list of "stars" who will appear on the show, there are always several that generate a "Huh?" from me: Louie Vito, Mark Dacascos, Chuck Wicks, Joanna Krupa, etc. However, Donny Osmond is undeniably one of the highest profile people ever to appear on the show, and I suspect a hefty percentage of the TV audience for "DwtS" is made up of women in their 40s and 50s who grew up listening to his records.
2. The freestyle dance. On Monday night, we were told again and again, "The freestyle dance can make you -- or break you!" I always felt that Shawn Johnson beat Gilles Marini in season 8 on the strength of her frenetic freestyle, and Donny and Kym's dance was an elegant delight that put a smile on everybody's face. Mya and Dmitry's performance to the "Hairspray" tune "You Can't Stop the Beat" just wasn't exciting enough to inspire people who weren't already Mya diehards to pick up the phone.
3. Kym Johnson. The Australian sensation is one of the show's most likable pros, and there seemed to be a lot of genuine warmth between her and Donny. He admitted that he battled the flu and fatigue during the season, and Kym was always there to encourage him to fight on. Her choreography played to Donny's strengths, capturing his big personality and his flair for showmanship.
I think one of the reasons Joanna made it as far as she did was because she was partnered with Derek Hough, who is probably the best choreographer on the show. Hough may be a huge egomaniac and an unrepentant camera hog, but he is also incredibly inventive (check out his Futuristic Paso Doble!) and, like Kym, is always savvy about how best to showcase his partner. Dmitry Chaplin, who is only in his second season on "DwtS," didn't serve Mya well. In the immortal words of head judge Len Goodman, there was too much "messin' about" in his routines, particularly their jitterbug, which featured the infamous feather-dusting of the judges' table. And there didn't seem to be that much affection between them, especially compared to the Kym-Donny and Kelly-Louis lovefests.
Donny Osmond -- hard-working, humble, the consummate pro, the family man who immediately ran to his wife's side after he won the trophy -- is a worthy champion. Even people who were rooting for Kelly or Joanna or Mya have to admit that he gave his all to the competition. Heck, he even did a dance dressed like Adam Ant. Everyone who watches "DwtS" knows how inherently ridiculous it is, and yet we want the stars to take it seriously, to Respect the Dance. Donny did that, and he did well. |
| posted by 125records @ 10:07 AM |
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| Sunday, November 22, 2009 |
| Drive |
Joe & I returned a few hours ago from a whirlwind weekend trip to Los Angeles. The advantage, for us, of driving is clear -- it was by far the cheapest way to go (we used about fifty bucks' worth of gas in our Prius, which gets around 42 MPG highway mileage), and we had the car at our disposal during our time in the city. The biggest disadvantage is that unless you have a lot of time to meander, you are going to take I-5, which has to be one of the most boring drives in America. (Joe countered that Wyoming is duller, but at least that state has lots of billboards to break up the monotony.) There is nothing -- nothing -- to see along I-5, except dirt, tumbleweeds, cattle, and the occasional orange grove.
It took us exactly six hours each way, including breaks, and we split the driving evenly. Unless you like ranchera music, or have satellite radio, you'd better bring your own audio entertainment. We had loaded up our iPod with our favorite podcasts, like "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" and Adam Carolla, which helped pass the time. Still, this is a drive that I would only be willing to make occasionally; I'm the type of person who will always opt for Trader Joe's (5 minutes away) over making the long, 15-minute trek to Whole Foods. As a result, despite the fact that Joe & I share a single car, the odometer on our 2002 vehicle only recently crossed 60,000 miles.
Someday, I would love to take Amtrak's Coast Starlight, which takes 12 hours from Oakland to L.A., but follows a much more scenic route. Until this weekend, I always figured that without a car in L.A., you were nothing, but here's what I discovered: you can have a perfectly nice time there by using public transportation! They have a fabulous subway system and extensive network of buses! Joe & I happened to be staying in a hotel that was right across the street from the Wilshire-Normandie station, and we took the train to Hollywood Blvd., which is like the Fisherman's Wharf of Los Angeles -- a place you would not be caught dead in unless you are a tourist. We wanted to see the L.A. Amoeba Records, which is an easy walk from the Hollywood & Vine station, and I desperately wanted to have my picture taken with Hollywood Blvd. Chewbacca, but alas, he was nowhere to be found! Maybe he only works on weekdays, or he's earning enough from his "Jimmy Kimmel Show" appearances that he no longer needs to rely on tips.
After getting around the city by subway, we got the car back from the valet parking at our hotel (note to anyone driving to L.A.: bring lots of small bills to tip valets), because we were headed for the historic Gamble House in Pasadena, which is not close to that city's Metro stations, alas. Even on a Saturday afternoon, the traffic was horrible, and it continued to be awful when we left in early evening and tried to make our way from Pasadena to the enormous Los Angeles County Museum of Art complex on Wilshire. LACMA's film series is showing a retrospective of early Hitchcock; we saw "Sabotage" and "Secret Agent," both from 1936.
The clean, pleasant subway network was a lot more enjoyable than sitting in traffic on the 210, and there are zillions of things to do in town along the train and bus routes. Back in the 1980s, the band Missing Persons sang that "nobody walks in L.A.," but lots of people do walk, and ride public transit. If you're visiting the city, you should, too. |
| posted by 125records @ 8:16 PM |
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| Wednesday, November 18, 2009 |
| Joanna |
My friend Janet is outraged over Joanna Krupa's elimination from "Dancing with the Stars." Yes, Joe and I are still watching "DwtS," and we were both surprised by her ouster.
Unlike last season, when I gave my dialing finger a workout voting for ooh-la-la Frenchman Gilles Marini, I don't have a horse in this race. The only time I've voted this season is two weeks ago, when I felt either reality TV princess Kelly Osbourne or weepy tax dodger Aaron Carter was going to get the boot, and I felt compelled to phone in for Kelly because I so desperately wanted Carter off my screen, pronto.
Krupa, a pouty Polish bikini model, was quite obviously a better dancer than Osbourne or Donny Osmond; I don't think she was as good as the season's frontrunner, pop star Mya. Of course, Mya is something of a ringer, having studied dance for years (just not ballroom dance, which I guess makes her eligible for the competition). She even appeared as one of the "Cell Block Tango" dancers in the 2002 film "Chicago."
So why were the lesser lights, Osbourne and Osmond, spared over the graceful, elegant Krupa? Well, I think part of it is their relatability. Both of them show their emotions openly, making it hard not to root for them. If Osbourne trips up during a dance, the smile instantly disappears from her face; when a judge praises her, she lights up like a 150-watt bulb. Osmond joyfully punches the air when he's nailed a dance, and if he makes a misstep, he is his own harshest critic, encouraging the judges to be tougher on him. (One week, Carrie Ann Inaba mentioned that he had made about four mistakes during a dance, and he immediately piped up that he'd actually made five.)
Also, the two Os have built-in fan bases. I had never heard of Krupa before "DwtS," whereas I practically grew up on the Osmonds (I was a devoted watcher of the Donny & Marie variety show back in the 70s), and Kelly appeared on one of the most popular reality TV series of all time, "The Osbournes." Plus, she has that redemptive arc -- she battled drug addiction and seems to have learned from her youthful mistakes.
I don't think there's ever been a contestant on "DwtS" who has wanted to win more than Kelly -- the woman has obviously worked her butt off, listened to her partner (Dutch-born ballroom champ Louis van Amstel), and she's improved tremendously over the course of the competition. By contrast, there was always something ice-princessy about Krupa. Remember those old TV commercials with the model saying, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"? Joanna is the woman we hate because she's beautiful. (Of course, being a bikini model isn't necessarily a ticket to oblivion in this competition, since Brooke Burke won a couple seasons ago. But she was a little older, and a mom, which I suspect helps with a certain segment of the voters.) Krupa's best, most memorable dance was her "Futuristic Paso Doble," which required her to act like a robot.
"DwtS" is not a pure meritocracy -- if it were, there's no way soulful sensation Lil' Kim would have been booted before wooden rodeo champ Ty Murray last season. I think Mya will win next week, but on a show where personality frequently trumps physical ability, I wouldn't count out either of her challengers yet. |
| posted by 125records @ 6:30 AM |
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| Monday, November 09, 2009 |
| Nostalgiarama |
This past weekend, I had a choice of two concerts that would bring back the 1980s in all their glory: the Pixies performing Doolittle in its entirety at the Fox Theater in Oakland, or Devo's two-night stand in San Francisco (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! on Friday, Freedom of Choice on Saturday). I opted for Devo, mainly because I saw the Pixies live about a zillion times during their wonder years, in venues large (opening for U2 at the Spectrum in Philly) and small (opening for Throwing Muses at the old 9:30 Club in D.C.). But I was too young to witness the spuds on their seminal tours, though I did finally manage to see them twice. My dad drove me and my brother to see them in East Lansing in late 1982, and I also caught their 2005 reunion gig at the Paramount in Oakland. That was a kick-ass show, so I knew they still had the chops.
Q: Are We Not Men? is one of my favorite albums -- I think it still holds up brilliantly today, and there's really only one song on it that I don't care for ("Too Much Paranoia," mercifully short). Hearing it live was a dream come true, and the band put on an incredibly high-energy performance from start to finish. Here's a surprisingly decent YouTube video of Devo's Friday performance of "Gut Feeling," which is probably one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time. The guys perform with such intensity that it's hard to believe they're all in their late 50s and early 60s (with the exception of drummer Josh Freese, the only non-original member). It's kind of like watching a bunch of suburban dads rock out. Here's another video worth watching: opening track "Uncontrollable Urge," featuring four of the members jumping in unison. I can't imagine that they had any more energy back in 1978.
There were only two encores, "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" and "Gates of Steel," so the show was just about an hour long. I kind of wish they'd played some more songs from Duty Now For the Future, the bridge between Q: Are We Not Men? and Freedom of Choice, but it was a thoroughly satisfying experience nonetheless.
Despite the fact that the album contains the band's biggest hit, "Whip It," I got the feeling (a gut feeling?) that Devo wasn't quite as into playing Freedom of Choice. The disc is much more synth-based, and it's harder to get crazy when you're behind a keyboard. Plus, it's just not as strong an album as their debut; most of side two (yes, even though I now have it on CD, I will always think of it as a vinyl record) is inconsequential. I could have sworn I saw Mothersbaugh reading lyrics (taped to the stage, perhaps?) at one point.
For the Saturday night encore, "Beautiful World," Mothersbaugh broke out his Booji Boy garb as a treat for the fans (the plastic-masked Booji character was a fixture in the band's first few videos). Booji delivered a monologue about meeting Michael Jackson in L.A., and for a moment, you could almost feel the crowd holding its collective breath. Even among aging punk rockers, it seemed inappropriate to joke about Jackson. But the story turned out to be a little sweet, in its own weird way. Moments like that one ensure that I'll always be a proud member of the Devo faithful. |
| posted by 125records @ 6:35 PM |
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| Saturday, November 07, 2009 |
| What's Wrong With America |
I have been watching this show on one of our smaller local PBS outlets, KCSM, called "MHz Worldview Presents." I found out about it from a couple people in my book group. Worldview shows international mystery programs on a rotating basis -- French, Italian, German and Scandinavian. They air at 10 PM on Monday nights and are repeated at 1 AM on Wednesdays.
I am primarily interested in the Norwegian "Varg Veum" series, and Sweden's "Wallander." I think the Swedish-made films based on Henning Mankell's "Wallander" books are far superior to the English ones featuring Kenneth Branagh that air on "Masterpiece Mystery," and "Varg" is kind of goofy fun -- it's about a private eye based in Bergen who seems to get beat up about half a dozen times in every episode, but always lives to triumph over evil and charm the ladies with his rugged blond good looks. Since they are murder mysteries, not surprisingly, things can get pretty violent. There are dead bodies, dismembered corpses, children in peril, shoot-outs, blood, guts, and mayhem.
But hey, the show is on well past any child's bedtime, and anyway, what kid is going to want to watch a subtitled crime drama from Norway? However, whoever is packaging this show for American audiences obviously thinks they need to protect us from that racy European content. I'm not talking about the violence and death, mind you -- I'm talking about the sex.
 I swear I'm not making this up: in one broadcast, "Worldview" blurred a statue every time it appeared onscreen, presumably because it depicted a bare-breasted woman. (The image looked something like this one which I whipped up myself, except I think it was even blurrier. Naturally, that particular statue is in Europe, out in public where children can see it.)
In another episode, a woman was briefly shown in her bra and panties as she was getting dressed. Even though she was wearing underwear, she was still blurred. I hope the people who would be horribly offended by the sight of a woman in lingerie never click over to the Jockey.com web site by mistake.
So, in short, the dead body of a young girl stuffed into a barrel = no problem; bare marble breasts = an affront to our morals. Of course, I guess I shouldn't expect anything different in the country where movies like "Saw" and "Hostel" are rated R, while "Henry & June" got a NC-17. |
| posted by 125records @ 5:49 PM |
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| Tuesday, November 03, 2009 |
| It's Too Early |
I was in a store yesterday and they were playing Christmas music -- something by John Legend, followed by that Josh Groban recording of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" featuring heart-tugging messages by U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. No retail establishment should be allowed to play carols at least until all the discounted bags of Halloween candy have been sold.
Believe it or not, I've got about a third of my Christmas shopping done already -- I've been picking up items here and there -- and am hoping to have it all done by Thanksgiving. I like to support my local merchants, but playing Xmas tunes in early November just makes me want to do everything online, where I can supply my own soundtrack.
Speaking of Halloween, this was the first time Joe and I stayed home that night since moving into our "new" house. We don't have all that many kids in our neighborhood, but I'd read that our town attracts carloads of children from other areas who come here because it's safe and presumably people here give really good candy. I was prepared with bags of Three Musketeers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. We wound up with just under 50 trick-or-treaters, ranging from precious 4-year-olds dressed like princesses to slightly thuggish teenagers sans costumes who held out their backpacks.
However, some friends of ours who live in the ritzier part of town had 400 kids come to their door, and they told us about a family near the city limits who had -- this is not a typo -- 1,200. Assuming one piece of Halloween candy costs about 15 cents (though you can certainly get it cheaper if you buy off-brand stuff), that's $180 to satisfy kids from all over the East Bay. If I lived in that neighborhood, I think I'd buy four or five bags of candy, hand it out, and when it was gone, turn out the lights. |
| posted by 125records @ 12:50 PM |
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| About Me |
Name: Sue
Home: San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
About Me: Email me: talk at interbridge dot com
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